This invention relates to a tampon applicator, having a specific insertion tip structure with petals, which is closed over the tampon and opens in use, which provides an improved, safer and more hygienic insertion of the tampon into the body.
A wide variety of absorbent catamenial tampons and applicators have been described in the art. The applicators are typically devices to facilitate the insertion of the tampon in the body. They are typically made from cardboard or plastic. Current, commercially available applicators include for example those, which comprise two tubes, telescoped in one another, whereof one tube can move inside the other tube, to push the tampon therein forward and thereby expelling it into the vagina. The applicator is then removed from the vagina, leaving the tampon behind. Another common applicator-tampon arrangement is in the form of a plunger with an inserter tube. These type of applicators often have a closed insertion tip with petals, which are integral with the remaining part of the applicator, and which open under application of pressure by the tampon (when the user pushes the tampon) to expel the tampon in the body. Also, because the petals cover the tampon, the tampon remains hygienic prior to use, at least some user find an applicator with a closed insertion tip more hygienic than an open-ended applicator.
However, these petals may also create problems for some users. The petals are perceived as sharp and stiff and that it is possible that they can hurt the body during insertion, in particular when a petal is slightly bend out of plane, prior to insertion. For example, a petal may open prior to use and then, insertion of the applicator may cause harm to the body, e.g. may scratch the vagina. Also, the petals do not always open easily, which means that the user has to use a substantive amount of pressure to expel the tampon past the petals, into the body. This causes also the insertion tip to pinch the user and thereby cause discomfort for the user.
One proposed solution to provide smoother insertion is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,145, suggesting to provide an applicator made of a double layer of material, which has integral therewith a number of petals, which are thinner than the remaining part of the applicator and made of only a single layer. The petals are more flexible and said to provide a smoother insertion. This document also describes that it is important that the expulsion force (e.g. the force to expel a tampon, applied from the inside on the tampon, applicator and petals thereof) should be quite low. The thin, single layered petals are said to provide an acceptable expulsion force. However, because the petals described in this document are thin, there is a high risk that they open prematurely, which makes the applicator less hygienic and which still creates a risk that an opened petal can scratch the body during insertion.
The inventors thus found that there is a need for a tampon-applicator which on one hand has a low expulsion force (to expel tampon through the petals), and which on the other hand has petals that can resist high external forces (e.g. prior to the application of the expulsion force from the inside) to avoid a petal to open prematurely. The inventors have now found an alternative way to provide a solution to these conflicting problems.
They found as solution to these problems a tampon applicator with petals, which are constructed such that they have an overlapping area with one another. The overlapping petals keep one another in place prior to use and prior to the application of the expulsion force from the inside, without the need of making each individual petal very force-resistant, stiff or hard. They can thus even be made of very thinner materials (which may be even more comfortable to insert in the body) without the risk that one or more petals is opened by an external force, at the wrong moment. Meanwhile, because each individual, overlapping petal does not have to be very force resistant in order to avoid opening of that petal, the total petal construction is very easily opened when a force pushes from the inside on all petals, e.g. when the tampon is being expelled through all petals. Thus an applicator is obtained which requires only a very low expulsion force to expel a tampon through the petals, whilst having a reduced risk that one or more individual petals open before insertion, i.e. whilst not requiring a high external force to open a single petal. Thus the applicator of the invention has a smoother, safer and more comfortable insertion, whilst still providing a hygienic covering of the tampon prior to use.
They also found that by providing petals which have a specific angle with the edge of the applicator tube from which they extend, petals can be obtained which do not have a sharp point top, as the petals of the prior art applicators have, but which have more rounded top edges; this again provide a smoother and safer insertion, because no sharp pointy tops can pinch the body during insertion. This angle also aids the reduction of the expulsion force and this angle improves the resistance of an individual petal to prematurely open.
They furthermore found that it is beneficial if there is an opening at the top of the applicator, such that the petals almost converge at the top but leave an about circular opening. They found that the shortest dimension through the geometrical center point of this opening can be an important factor too, to control the force to open one single petal of the insertion tip construction of the invention.
The present invention relates to an applicator for a tampon, capable of receiving a tampon, having a tube with a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion having an end portion edge, which is connected to or integral with an insertion tip, said insertion tip extending from said end portion edge and having at least 2 petals, which each have a first edge and a second edge, extending from said end portion edge, characterised in that of each petal, the first edge is positioned on top of one directly neighbouring petal and the second edge is positioned under another directly neighbouring petal, to form for each petal a region of overlap, with a neighbouring petal.
These regions of overlap are generally in a regular manner, such as having the same pattern of overlap, same size of overlap. Preferably of each petal, the first edge is positioned on top of one directly neighbouring petal and the second edge is positioned under another directly neighbouring petal, to form for each petal a region of overlap. The overlap between a first petal, and the directly neighbouring, second petal is preferably at least 1% of the surface area of the second petal preferably at least 3% or even at least 8% or even at least 10% or even at least 15% or even at least 20% of the surface area of the second petal, typically up to 70% or even 50% or even 35% of the surface are of the second petal.
The first edge is preferably a leading edge which has an angle with the end portion edge Al of between 20xc2x0 and 80xc2x0, preferably 40xc2x0 to 60xc2x0, and the second edge is a trailing edge which has an angle with the end portion edge At of 180xc2x0xe2x80x94Al; or the second edge is a leading edge which has an angle with the end portion edge Al of between 20xc2x0 and 80xc2x0, preferably 40xc2x0 to 60xc2x0, and the first edge is a trailing edge which has an angle with the end portion edge At of 180xc2x0xe2x80x94Al. The edges are preferably curved in the plane of the petals, as can be seen in the drawings herein, and preferably, the edges of each petal converge towards the highest point of the insertion tip in curving manner, e.g. such that in the top of the insertion tip there are no sharp points of converging petal edges, as also can be seen in the drawings herein.
The invention also provides an applicator for a tampon, capable of receiving a tampon, having a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion having an end portion edge, which is connected to or integral with an insertion tip, said insertion tip extending from said end portion edge and having at least 2 petals, which each have a first edge and a second edge, extending from said end portion edge, and whereby the first edge and the second edge converge or optionally are connected with a third edge, at the top region of the insertion tip, and whereby there is an opening in the top region of the insertion tip,
characterised that the force to open a petal is at least 50 gram-force and preferably up to 400 g-force and the shortest dimension through the geometrical centre point of the opening (herein after referred to as xe2x80x98shortest dimension) is less than 10 mm or even less than 5 mm, and preferably at least 2 mm.
The expulsion force to expel the tampon from the applicator is typically less than 500 g-force, preferably less than 400 g-force or even less than 325 g-force and whereby the force to open a single petal is more than 50 g-force, preferably more than 90 g-force.